Top Blog Partners

Vieira explains what Arsenal lack and it’s NOT leaders

Sometimes in football a phrase or an idea about any club or certain players can take hold and become accepted as truth rather than the opinion of some people and that is certainly true of Arsenal. The way that our season’s tend to go down the same route maybe makes it easy for pundits and critics to roll out the same old lines and it can be hard to deny when you are sick of seeing your team suffer the same old problems year after year.

We have the theory about Mesut Ozil being lazy and even though the stats show the German covers more ground than most his body language and languid style of play does make him easy to criticise. Probably the most frequent finger pointed at the Gunners over the last decade, however, is the idea that we lack leaders on the pitch.

Arsenal have never replaced Patrick Vieira adequately, they say, and particularly the way he led his teammates, but the man himself has added his voice to the debate, as reported by The Mirror, and it will probably surprise you to hear our former captain claim that Arsenal do have plenty of leaders in the dressing room. It is players that have perhaps a bit more fight than they have talent that the former midfielder insists the current squad could do with a few more of.

He said, “The current Arsenal team, of course they want to win games. You don’t go onto the field not wanting to win. It’s just that the characteristic of the players is different now than it used to be before.

“I’m not one to say our generation was better than this generation. It doesn’t make sense to compare the two generations because we are in a different period. The quality of the players are completely different.

“The team in our generation were more physical but this generation are better football players – there’s no doubt about that. So the balance is what Arsenal need to find.

“If you look at Arsenal today I really enjoy watching them play, they play some really good football – but that is not enough to win football matches or to win competitions. But in our time we were winning and we had the strength to not play well but somehow manage to win the game 1-0.

“But you’re not going to tell me Ozil is not a leader? You’re not going to tell me Sanchez is not a leader? You’re not going to tell me Petr Cech is not a leader. There’s leaders in the team to challenge and they have the experience to win matches.

“But I think it’s just the balance between players are different. If you look at our time, we managed to win games but sometimes we didn’t play well. But we had this physicality to deal with certain situations.

“Now they are playing well, playing some really good football but they don’t win. So that means the balance between physicality and technical creativity maybe needs to be looked at.”

With this in mind and with a couple of days of the summer transfer window left, what can Wenger do to restore the balance and make Arsenal winners again?

If we’re not willing to challenge for the title then it makes no sense not selling.Besides that top clubs don’t allow their best player move for free.Only Arsenal can do that.I was never buying that “we are not a selling club anymore” mentality.There’s no upside to allowimg your best player leave for free.The funny thing is teams have won the EPL with much more inferior wingers than him.Football is business but your business must be success oriented.The only problem is here our business is failure oriented.The departures of Nasri,Fabregas,Van Persie etc. would not have hurt us so much if our business was success oriented.We’re not smart enough.

Nor me to be frank. The fact is with him at the club we’ve averaged 72 league goals a season since he has been at the club which is exactly the same as in the seven years prior to his arrival. Goals conceeded isn’t vastly different either.
I think what captured the affection of many fans is that he came inculcated with the Barcelona mind-set of high energy pressing when he doesn’t have the ball. It is because Barca did this against us just as much as their undoubt skill that allowed them to piss over us. When we had the ball they snapped to get it back, whereas we just stood back and watch the tiki taka.
What we need is not an ego-centric forward but a hatchet man a la Peter Storey, a no nonsense defensive midfielder. Perhaps there’s someone we can pick up from the Scrubs or Pentonville. Some one a bit psycho to scare the oppositon

JUST IN:As I brought to you guys some hours ago of the expected Sanchez bid.It’s now in.Man City have made a bid of £72 for Alexis Sanchez.He’s now willing to force through the move.Arsenal’s asking price has now been met.
Ox update:The Ox is currently having a medical at St. George Park.Sorry for me saying it was scheduled for tomorrow.I guess at times we say that for formality sake.Move has been sped up likely because of lateness of window.
Arsenal are only close to signing nobody as the window closes.

Meanwhile Tony Bloody PULIS has signed Grzegorz Krychowiak from PSG and Swansea have signed Renato Sanches from Bayern Munich . Let that sink in people , we are not as attractive to these players as Westbrom and Swansea . Prepare for mid table obscurity here on out with Wenger in charge .

Time we brought Thomas Tuchel and make Wenger the Sporting Director. Tuchel is much in the mould of Klopp and Potchetino. He will bring out the best from our players and he is man with fire and intensity. He will whip this team into shape in no time .

Aren’t you forgetting who Paul Clement used to work for? Do your research, and think before you speak, ’cause you sound like any other fool who thinks that all players are just dying to play for Arsenal.

He may have a point but to count out the lack of leadership entirely is not right too. I would say our players lack intelligence to outwit opponents. I’m pretty sure there are some games during the invincible era where the likes of henry Viera Pires Bergkamp overwrite Wenger’s battle plan to scrape a win. That’s passion, intelligences and desire to win right there. Just don’t see it since their absence. It’s as if the players are thinking I’m just doing my job. It’s not my fault if it does not work.

This could be our best transfer window yet didn’t Wenger say two weeks ago ox is a player he could build a team around now that ox is going to Liverpool dose this mean Wenger is going to manage Liverpool also with all the players were selling we’ll have profit of 100 million + the 100 million we were told Arsenal had to spend on this window that means we’ll have over 200 million not to spend on next transfer window

@Kev You Are So Delusional. I Check The Sites I Mentioned Earlier On A Regular Basis. It’s Not Like Others Don’t See This Trash You Post Here At Mini Sites. Maybe You Should Just Open Your Site/Blog. With Your Source Of Info You’re So Confident About, You Can Earn A Lot Of Money.

Kroenke came in and we lost it bcos he is all about money.we need a new owner who is ready to rescue us and a new manager bcos Arsene has done his part.LET’S VOICE OUT IN D RIGHT MANNER BY HITTING THEM FINANCIALLY OR ELSE NOTTINGHAM FOREST AWAITS US.

I love Arsenal to death but I can’t watch this anymore. Yes AW needs to go but who will we get this late? Our season is not over and our fans should get behind the team no matter what. Have a problem with AW b4 & after games not when they are playing. It’s AW and the rest not the players. I think getting 65+ for AS is great so let him go and any of the others that don’t want to play for our club. The ox going is that really a bad thing? He has not been that great for us ATBH will he play week in week out for Liverpool NO. I think 3 big players coming tomorrow well we hope.

It really looks like Sanchez is going to Man City, and the Ox is going to Liverpool.

SuperSports (Equivalent of Sky Sports in South Africa) reported yesterday that Southampton are not willing to sell Virgil Van Dijk, so we’re not getting him, and nor is anybody else. I don’t get this whole thing about shipping-out Mustafi. Very strange.

Not heard anything about our other possible targets in the media recently (Seri/Draxler/Lemar) but I really hope there is something planned for deadline day. I would love to see Draxler in an Arsenal shirt, but I’m not holding my breath!

Probably will end up over 80 mil+ in the bank and -5 players this window . . .
If this wasn’t a reality now if our faces, I would not believe it to be so sad. I always figured Wenger and Company were spewing the SAME LIES as the last few transfer windows about a war chest of cash to spend on players to improve the squad.
You can’t even call it a joke anymore, it’s more like bizarreo world! What the AFC players with any self-respect and hope must be thinking?? Yeah, it’s bad enough for the effed fans, but I couldn’t imagine being a player on that team hoping for positive change . . . pathetic . . .

Still in a state of shoCk !! Can’t believe what’s going on in my team. Where the “Arsenal” double digits title winners, a fabulous state of the art stadium yet where acting like a feeder 4/slash mid table club!!! Massive Q’s need answering!! ASAP!! Change is a must… From owner to directors to staff and most importantly the mediocre players with have on handsome salaries.still feeling dizzy from the lolpool game ://

We have been liked to again. the board is selling to our direct rivals. Its good to see OX leave. Thanks to him. There is no leader on the pitch. All players plays like “I will play what I can”
Ever noticed that Wenger has not since the days of the invisibles bought a player that is able to take charge on the field? Seems he fears to loose power and control during a match.
The players can for once disagree with him, the ones that can has refused to extend there stay. Obviously tired.
I am not expecting a new signing. We know Wenger and the board will not do any more deal. Laca seems far too much they have to sell OX.
Wenger is the problem and that is simple.

If they don’t buy replacements for Ox and Sanchez, we’re looking into a relegation battle.
Because the squad isn’t only playing against the highly trained oppositions, they’re also playing against their stupid manager’s “tactics” and squad selection and the no-responsibility mentality brought in by le fraud himself.
Wenger is one of those people that will take a dump on their chair on their last day of work. That’s what he’s doing, ruining Arsenal, so that the new manager can have as hard job as possible.